Access the Copy Cataloging Queue in Alma
To access books in the Alma copy cataloging queue, go to Acquisitions => Post-Receiving Processing => Receiving Department Items.
This will show you the items in local department.
Use the Filter button to limit the list to items needing copy cataloging.
Scan the columns that indicate which titles have Requests or Interested Users and prioritize those items. (Note that there are also filters for items with Requests and Interested Users.)
Note that you can search for an individual book by using the Find search box.
Edit the Bibliographic Record
Click on the hyperlinked title of the book and then press the Edit button to open the record in the Metadata Editor.
Open WorldCat: Click on the Split Screen button at the upper right of the screen, then select Tools => Search External Resources.
Search WorldCat by ISBN, author, title or any combination to find a bibliographic record that matches the book in hand.
Download the Record to the Repository and Edit
Select Copy & Overlay from the drop-down record below the WorldCat record and click Execute.
Edit the downloaded record per procedure. (Questions: see a cataloger.)
Tools => Set Management Tags => Export to WorldCat => Publish holdings only
(The publishing job "Publish your Local Holdings Records (LHRs) to OCLC" will handle updating our holdings in OCLC automatically.)
View Inventory
From the Metadata Editor, click Control + I or the View Inventory button to view inventory.
Click Edit to edit the holdings record if needed (to change call number or location).
To Exit the holdings record, press Control + Q or the Exit button.
Enter Barcode and make other changes to Item Record as needed
From the Metadata Editor, click Control + I or the View Inventory button to view inventory.
Click on View Items to update the item record for the book.
Click on Actions => Edit
Verify that the Material type, Permanent library, and Permanent location are correct.
Item policy: Entered only for exceptions (items that circulate unlike other items for this location).
Notes tab:
Public note is displayed in the Primo Get It tab. Examples: "Copy signed by author," "Donated by [name]"
Fulfillment note is displayed during Circulation. Examples: "Check for discs"
Internal note is used for staff
Statistics note is available in Analytics.
For gift books, enter Gift in Statistics note 1.
Volume numbers for single volumes of multi-volume sets get entered in the Description field, e.g. v. 1 [with space]
Note: Do not use the Enumeration field for monographs; it is used only for serials.
Note: Description field can also be used for any notes that you want to impact fulfillment, e.g. "annotated by author." If there is anything in the description field, all requests will be at the item-level by default.
Note: For all purchased items, make sure that there is a PO line and a Receiving date in the Item record. This might mean adding a PO line to multivolume sets. If there is a PO line and no Receiving date, alert Acquisitions staff.
Note: For DVDs only, change the Process type from Technical Services to blank so that the DVD can be transited directly to the Media Resource Center.
As a last step, scan the barcode in the the book to add it to the record and automatically Save and exit the Item record.
Move the Recently-Cataloged Items to the Next Stage of the Workflow
Acquisitions => Post-Receiving Processing => Scan in Items
OR
Fulfullment => Resource Requests => Scan in Items
Automatically print slip: no
Set Status To: Physical Processing
Done: No
Scan Item Barcode: [scan barcode of each item]
Transit the items to physical processing.
Print Labels
Print labels for the books according to label-printing procedures.
Note: This step can be done book-by-book or in a batch.
Update holdings in OCLC Connexion
Theoretically, if a bib record in Alma is perfect and needs no editing, it will already have been updated in OCLC at the time the item was ordered.
However, if a different bib record needs to be used and we overlay, OCLC is not updated (because it was updated at the time of order and because the old record was overlaid instead of saved and marked for deletion).
For this reason, all titles are checked in OCLC and holdings updated as needed.